Cook's notes: Mina used Tellicherry black peppercorns when he made this dish at my house. He used Bellwether Farms' whole-milk ricotta, a rich ricotta. It is often sold at Vin Goat in Corona del Mar. To prepare rosemary salt, combine 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves and 1 tablespoon gray Maldon sea salt or fleur de sel sea salt.

Procedure:

1. Place cracked pepper in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat; shaking handle of pan, heat until warm and fragrant. Add honey and stir to combine. When honey is hot, remove from heat and allow to rest at room temperature 2 to 3 hours.

2. Place ricotta in food processor. Process 1 minute, scraping down sides of work bowl halfway through. Place in bowl and pat down with rubber spatula. Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop up as much as possible; place in small shallow bowl (if your scoop is smaller, make two side-by-side mounds). Using a teaspoon, drizzle honey over top of cheese in a thin stream, using circular motion. Sprinkle on rosemary salt. Pour oil around edge of cheese. Provide a small knife to use for spreading. Serve with roasted bread.

Cook's notes: You can use store-bought tomatillo sauce if you like. Greeley makes his by sautéing 1 white onion (chopped) in 2 teaspoons olive oil until softened. He adds 3 garlic cloves (chopped), 2 cups tomatillos (peeled, washed, chopped), 1 to 2 Serrano chilies (remove seeds for a milder version, chopped), and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add 1 cup chicken broth and bring to boil on high heat; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Purée in blender in batches (hold down lid of blender with potholder). If mixture is too thick, add a little broth or water and blend again. Greeley also spooned some vegetables on the side that he had cooked in some strained fish stock (chunks of carrots, onions, tomatoes and celery). He said the vegetables aren't an essential element. Use caution when working with fresh chilies; wash hands and work surface upon completion and do NOT touch eyes or face.

Procedure:

1. Place banana leaves in single layer on work surface. Place masa in center of each leaf, dividing it evenly. Smear it out so it makes a rough rectangle about 6 inches long. Top masa with string cheese pieces. Place fish on top, overlapping the slices slightly. Season fish with salt.

2. Place in steamer (masa-side up) over (but not touching) boiling water; cover. Steam for 10 minutes. Cautiously remove from steamer and place each open-faced tamale on a plate, masa-side up, with the banana leaf still intact. Spoon a generous amount of tomatillo salsa on the side. Top with fresh tomato wedges and cilantro sprigs.

Cook's notes: I used an 8-ounce bag of chopped dates (Sunsweet). If you like, substitute whole (salted) marcona almonds for the walnuts if using as an accompaniment to cheese. I like to serve these wedges with Cambozola (soft-ripened triple cream cheese and Italian Gorgonzola), a sharp white cheddar and Manchego (Spanish sheep's milk cheese).

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or, if using as a cheese accompaniment, grease a 9-inch round cake pan that is at least 1 3/4-inches deep. Line pan with two crisscrossed sheets of aluminum foil, allowing a 1- to 2-inch margin of foil to come over the top edge of the pan; butter foil. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, place graham cracker crumbs, salt and baking powder; stir to combine. Add dates and walnuts; stir to combine.

3. In a separate bowl or large bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs well (use the flat paddle attachment on mixer if using). Add brown sugar, 1/3 cup at a time, stirring or beating between additions to combine. Add graham cracker mixture to egg mixture and mix or beat to combine. Place in prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes in pan set on cooling rack. Using potholders if the pan and foil are still too hot to handle, pull foil from pan and set bars still in foil on cooling rack. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Invert on cutting board and peel away foil. For cookies: Make 36 squares by cutting 6 rows crosswise and lengthwise. If serving as a cookie, dust with powdered sugar; place powdered sugar in a sieve and shake over squares. For cheese accompaniment: Cut into thin wedges (do not dust with powdered sugar).

Source: adapted from “The Gourmet Cookie Book: The Single Best Recipe from Each Year 1941-2009” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18)

Pimm's O'Clock Cocktail

Yield: 1 large cocktail or 2 smaller cocktails

2 ripe strawberries, halved

8 thin slices peeled hothouse cucumber

1/4 orange, cut into 3 or 4 pieces with the peel intact, seeds removed if present

Ice

8 ounces Pimm's No. 1

2 ounces fresh lemon juice

2 ounces simple sugar syrup, see cook's notes

2 ounces water

Cook's notes: To make simple sugar syrup, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil; stir and reduce to simmer. Simmer 30 seconds. Cool. Leftover cooled syrup can be stored airtight in the refrigerator.

Procedure:

1. In a large cocktail shaker, add strawberries, cucumber slices and orange pieces. Muddle until soft and fruit is broken into pieces but not completely mashed.

2. Add a little ice, Pimm's, lemon juice, simple syrup and water. Cover and shake vigorously. Pour into one large glass filled with ice, or two smaller glasses filled with ice.

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